Indoor ice-skating arenas provide shelter for various types of sporting events and recreational activities. The indoor ice-skating ares generally include a refrigerated ice surface defined by and contained within boundaries called "boards". The ice surface generally is rectangular in shape with rounded corners. Transparent plexiglass is usually mounted vertically to the top portion of the boards to protect spectators from injuries which may occur from contact with shot hockey pucks.
The refrigerated ice surface of an indoor ice-skating arena occasionally requires resurfacing by the use of equipment powered by internal combustion engines, a common example of which includes a Zamboni.TM..
Spectator seating generally surrounds the "boards" of an indoor ice-skating arena. The spectator seating usually extends in a step manner horizontally outward and vertically upward from the boards and ice surface.
Skaters using indoor ice-skating facilities will frequently engage in strenuous physical activities necessitating heavy breathing. Skaters exhale a significant volume of carbon dioxide while using an indoor ice-skating facility. In addition, ice resurfacing equipment exposes the air proximal to the refrigerated ice surface to exhaust fumes, which include carbon monoxide and/or nitrogen dioxide. The existence of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and other exhaust gases proximal to the refrigerated ice surface is undesirable and unhealthy to skaters. The existence of undesirable gases proximal to the refrigerated ice surface results in the breathing of these gases by skaters.
Undesirable gases proximal to a refrigerated ice surface descend according to Boyle's Law when cooled by the ice. Undesirable gases usually do not disperse and/or ascend over the top of the plexiglass of an indoor ice-skating arena. Concentration of undesirable gases thereby occurs in areas used by skaters. The "boards" and the plexiglass of an indoor ice-skating arena function to contain and concentrate the undesirable gases.
The air circulation and filtration system of this invention removes undesirable gases from areas of an indoor ice-skating arena used by skaters. The invention creates an air course proximal to a refrigerated ice surface. The intake and return air panels of the circulation and filtration system are designed to imitate and interact with the remaining "boards" of an indoor ice-skating arena. Undesirable gases are filtered from air withdrawn from the ice arena by the invention. Filtered or filtered and cooled air may then be returned to the arena, thereby, significantly enhancing breathing of skaters.